BET Award-Nominated Saweetie Pays Homage to Her Roots with Her New EP ‘Pretty Bitch’

For the half Black, half Filipino producer, rapper, singer and songwriter Saweetie, incorporating her family heritage into her public image and lyrics was never a question. She waxed belovedly on her mother in the namesake track of her major-label debut High Maintenance: “That’s word to my mother, she the Filipino queen. And she hella high maintenance I’ma get her what she need.” She ate pancit with Kim Lee on MTV Asia and in “Pretty Girl Moshpit,” a new track in her upcoming EP Pretty Bitch, she’s rapping verses in Tagalog. You wouldn’t know most biracial artists were so from their work, but Saweetie’s exudes and celebrates that part of herself naturally.

She made a name for herself posting raps on Instagram until they culminated in her hit Soundcloud single “Icy Grl,” the music video of which currently boasts 97 million views on Youtube. Running hot off of “Icy Grl’s” success, she signed with Warner Bros. Records in partnership with Artistry Worldwide and released her second EP Icy. Her first single on Icy, “My Type,” peaked at #21 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Breezing to the top so early in her career, Saweetie still had to come into a sound she felt was hers. Co-producing and singing for the first time on Pretty Bitch, she’s found it; her roots and themes remain a throughline. Saweetie embraces the contrasts between her black and Filipino families. She reps the Bay area she grew up in and promotes female independence, beauty, self-care, power and success—the elements that constitute her definition of “High Maintenance,” which have taken a new form in Pretty Bitch. She's found her lane, and it's paying off: on Monday, Saweetie was nominated for her first BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist.

Saweetie’s songs relay a consistent message: she’s inspired by her upbringing, she’s uniquely exceptional, she made it and she can support the other strong women in her life who supported her. That means she can support you, that you can make your own success and help others too. On Twitter, she’s asked her followers to “Tap In,” to share photos of themselves and talk about how they’re holding up in quarantine. Simultaneously, she’s priming them for her upcoming single of the same name. In her lyrics, her song and EP titles, and discourse with her fans, Saweetie redefines words and turns of phrase or even coins her own to build a unique language around her work (See Icy). In her new EP title, Bitch is an acronym standing for boss, independent, tough, creative, hyphy. 

Prior to her single “Tap In” and Pretty Bitch EP release, Saweetie told L’Officiel USA about the influences of her upbringing and how the themes she’s always explored have developed with the evolution of her new sound. 

L'Officiel: What are you binging in quarantine?

Saweetie: Ozark! I love Ozark! I’m halfway through the second season, episode 5. It’s a whole bunch of free game, it’s politics, it’s sexy ‘cuz the drugs. The character development you get from the length of a TV show is amazing.

LO: You wouldn’t know a lot of bi-racial artists were so from their music. Was there never a doubt that it would be part of yours?

S: It’s never been a question for me. I grew up equally on both sides, meaning I spent a lot of time at my gramma’s house, my mom’s etc. It was always something that just felt natural to share. It’s funny because a lot of people think that I’m just black. When I do share little tidbits, like with a verse in a song, or like when I posted a picture of my Mom on her birthday, a lot of my Filipino fans went crazy because they didn’t know my mom was Filipino. Filipinos love hip hop, so it’s a big deal when they see someone who’s like them representing such a great space.

LO: I didn’t meet another half Filipino until I was 19 or 20. You’ve mentioned there’s a lot in the Bay area, how did growing up there inform your life and work?

S: Really? You need to come out to the Bay, there’s a whole bunch of ‘em out there! I think it more so influenced my outlook on life. Respect is a common value between my mom and dad’s families but other than that it’s night and day. I have a traditional Filipino family. They’re immigrants. My mom came here when she was 13. They have accents. They’re just starting to become Americanized. They were very strict growing up. I know what it feels like to be in both worlds and to respect both worlds and to know no two groups of people are the same. It gave me a very sensitive and mature outlook when it came to dealing with different groups of people. I feel it was very beneficial to me, growing up biracial.

LO: Can we expect to see that integrated in your upcoming single or EP?

S: [laughs] So, I have this song called "Pretty Girl Mosh Pit" coming. When I was recording it, I wanted to start the verse off poppin’ some shit in Tagalog. So I’m literally at the studio and I walk outside and call my mom and I’m like “ What [was that phrase in Tagalog] you taught me? Do you remember?” I was trying to talk shit to someone and she told me to tell them their Mom was a hoe. [laughs] So I’m talkin’ shit in the song. The beginning of the verse goes like this: Putang ina mo! [your mom’s a bitch!] You think I ain’t up. All this hater shit. You got it from that hoe. [laughs]

So I’m talkin’ about somebody’s mom. When my mom reminded me she was like “please don’t tell me you’re putting that in the song.” But I was like “Mom, it’s a fun song. I’ve been poppin’ some shit. I’m not really talkin’ shit on somebody.” I needed something that rhymes with hoe, so I was like how do you say that again? [laughs]  I didn’t want to just tell people I’m Filpino, I wanted to say something in Tagalog. I’m really excited for that moment because it’s a dope song.

LO: And Saweetie is a nickname you got from your Grandmother.

S: Yeah, I really love my family. On my Filipino side, I have 7 aunties and uncles and on my black side, I have 9. And they all have hella kids. I grew up around my family a lot. My cousins are like my brothers and sisters, so including them is just natural. It’s where a lot of my values and influence comes from.

LO: Your Grandmother was an activist. What do you feel is the role and responsibility of celebrities and people with platforms during times like this?

My grandmother, Roxane Harper, has been an activist since she was a young adult and has always shared her passion for making a difference. She's had her own foundation Y.A.D (Youth, Achieve, Destiny) which I was apart of when I was younger. Because I was able to have a great role model like herself I am inspired to follow in her footsteps. Speaking for myself, I feel like it is my job to use my platform to educate, spread awareness, and make changes just like her.

LO: You recently did a fashion collaboration with Pretty Little Thing, and 100% of profits went to Black Lives Matter. Tell us how you raised $150,000 in just a few days.

I owe it to my fans and supporters because they made the purchases. This was a group effort and because of all the purchases, we were able to make a difference in the Black community.

LO: Are you involved with any other arts or hobbies that people don’t know about?

S: I’ve always been artistic. My parents could draw really well. They did graffiti and shit. Are you familiar with the Pantone colors? I’ve been getting more into their books. I’ve been in charge of my whole roll-out, I’ve been creative directing all of my quarantine shoots. I have these three big ass mood boards for my Pretty Bitch roll out. I’m into tones, drawing, calligraphy, everything. I feel like this is a very special project for me because I actually have time to sit down and have creative direction over everything.

LO: The fact that you’re a college graduate tends to come up a lot. What was your major?

S: Business and communication. Actually, thank you for reminding me, I lost my diploma and I can’t find it. My assistant’s supposed to order me a new one. [She reads her text to her assistant aloud] “Update on my diploma.” I wanted to share it because I never got a picture of it.

LO: “Tap In” is a sample in the vein of “Icy Grl” and “My Type.”

S: It’s a great follow up to “My Type” because it’s nostalgic for me. It’s a sample of “Blow The Whistle” by Too Short. “Icy Girl” and “My Type” are a little controversial because the conversation is wondering if I can make a hit with an original beat. I can, and this project will show that. It takes a special kind of artist to take somebody’s hit and make it their own. A lot of people sample other bodies of work but are they as big as “My Type?” No. Although it’s a gift and a curse and a double-edged sword, I’ll take that. ‘Cuz if I can make it your hit and my hit I’m going to continue to do that. 

LO: I know Pretty Bitch was written and recorded long before the current movement for civil rights justice and reform, but do you see anything in it that coincidentally speaks to that? 

S: I have a song called “Prayed Up” and it is definitely a song that I listen to when I need to lift my spirits up. Music is meant to be fun most of the time, but it is also meant to inspire and to carry listeners through tough times. 

LO: Can we expect more singing going forward?

S: I always wanted to be a Disney princess singer growing up. It makes my Mom so happy when I sing because I sang as a little girl and she thought I had such a pretty voice. Then I stopped singing. I don’t know why. Life hit me, I don’t know. So I stopped for a while and then I tried to sing again and it wasn’t the same. I wanted to be a singer but I couldn’t sing like that. The singers that were out there then were the Beyonces and the Mariah Careys, and those girls can sing. A couple of years later, I realized that if I couldn’t be a singer I could be a rapper. But now that I got the confidence back and I’ve been practicing, I’d like to start singing more on my tracks.   

LO: Was that something you acquired on your own? Did your parents sing?

S: My mom used to sing. She has a soft angelic voice. You know Filipinos love karaoke! [laughs]